How can I change my default Icon from a white sheet with an explorer window in it to the standard Blue IE Icon

I have dozens of desktop icons that help me in may day-to-day operations. For the sites I visit quite often I right click on the webpage and then create a shortcut to my desktop because it's easier and more efficient for me rather than adding to my favorites. I have stopped deleting all my cookies and only select the ones I know are relevant that save me time, but I do clean my system daily with CCleaner and delete my Temp IE files - I have a folder that I set up where I save all my unique website icons so that when I clean the temp files and it changes to the default IE icon, I then go to it ands change the icon back to the original icon by selecting it from my new unique icon folder (I keep it on my desktop too)

That was my background for my question. Lately, even for those shortcut icons that I re saved to my icon folder, and even new icons almost all of them (not all of them (??) revert to the ugly icon that is NOT the Blue IE Icon, but it reverts to the white sheet with an explorer window in it which is used in lots of file types. I want to see how I can set my default icon to the Blue E on a white page rather than the other. Lately (in the past week or so) when I click on properties of an icon to change it and then click on change icon, it takes me here: to this path: %SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll (with the ugly icon highlighted in the box below) and a bunch of other windows icons, but the Blue IE on a White Page Icon is NOT in that list of icons. However, if I go to the properties of a Blue E on White Paper shortcut and click on change Icon, I see that it has this path: C:\WINDOWS\system32\url.dll with only three other icons below (the newspaper, an envelope and paper and the defrag icon) -

SO... I need to know how to get my shortcuts to use (consistently) either my Icon selected from my Saved Unique Icon Folder - (like I said - even those are lately often changed back to this ugly one) - sometimes after a reboot, OR to get my Icons to always go to the Nice Blue E icon? I also know that if I use Mozilla and set it as default, all my work changing the icons to my own icon folder gets changes and all I see are Mozilla Icons (not on all of the, bit, by bit they change)

Does anyone have or know of A Tweak program? -or- Maybe a Registry Trick? I cannot stand it because my 60+ icons are hard to find and selecting Icons from my Temp Files and renaming each one to a unique name like Favicon[joes-site].ico, or Favicon[green-website].ico which WAS working fine is no longer secure and dependable? Maybe there is a way to move these to a place that the shortcut will go to 100% of the time, no matter what?

Please advise at you earl;iest convenience
George - FreedomWatchdog
Thanks for you anticipated reply - I found a few posts but none really resolves this

Each file extension is mapped to a specific dll or ico file that is set in the registry. So, as long as all your files are .URL (internet shortcuts) and your default icon is the IE one, it should work.
Are all of your shorcut files in the .URL extension? Remember that when you rename a file, and have the "Hide extensions for known file types" unchecked in folder options, you must keep the .URL intact.

To virtuatech: You say "It should" but it doesn't. I use .ico for the icons and the shortcuts are to URLs. I don't know what else to say I did not quite get what you were trying to say, as a fix to my issue.

To DarrenMcCall: I did what you said, and found the various IE icons (nice) but it is not working, because it is not letting each one go to that as default. In other words, what I said is still happening. On the ugly icon, when I click "change icon" I am STILL taken to %SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll and I have no way of knowing where to find the one that I just set up using explorer.exe with the list of icons to select from. In the one I am taken to now, I see lots of Globes, and Windows type of icons, but NONE stays there, and each one reverts back to the default which is the ugly one (white page with the weird image inside) Maybe I can somehow force the change you mention and set it as a default in another area? I also need to know what it reverts back to this, even when I have the icons directed to my Icon Folder with all the website icons and a few select ones that I found and downloaded so I can be better organized. Even when I clear the cache, it should not change the icon! My Icon folder is permanent NOT cache... Why?

Please see if you have any other ideas on KEEPING the icons I select from my own folder to stay where they are no matter what I do! Is this possible?

After years of analyzing threat actor behavior, it’s become clear that at any given time there are specific tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) that are particularly prevalent. By analyzing and understanding these TTPs, you can dramatically enhance your security program.

If you open the folder containing all of the internet explorer shortcuts and select all. Right click on one of them and go to properties. You will get the option in there to change icon. Change it to whatever you want and it will remain that icon no matter what happens.

It took me a few trial and error attempts and a few clicks here and there but I think I got the result I was looking for. The answer that seemed to work best was virtuatech's htmicon link. However, after looking closer at other responses I saw that a few were real close to the answer, in particular, the one from Darren and real close to the one from Dauhee. Because of this, I had no choice but to split the points as best as I could. It appears that these answers accomplish virtually the same result, but the only difference is that one seemed easier to comprehend than the other but used a different route. In any case, I did the best I could to be as fair as possible.

I hope everyone is satisfied with my decision and I truly thank all of you for taking the time to help me resolve this trivial, but important issue (to me)... I hope to hear from all of you again when I stumble on other problems.

All my best to all of you!

George Malvar
FreedomWatchdog

0

Featured Post

Manage projects of all sizes how you want. Great for personal to-do lists, project milestones, team priorities and launch plans.
- Combine task lists, docs, spreadsheets, and chat in one
- View and edit from mobile/offline
- Cut down on emails

NTFS file system has been developed by Microsoft that is widely used by Windows NT operating system and its advanced versions. It is the mostly used over FAT file system as it provides superior features like reliability, security, storage, efficienc…

In this article, I will show you HOW TO: Install VMware Tools for Windows on a VMware Windows virtual machine on a VMware vSphere Hypervisor 6.5 (ESXi 6.5) Host Server, using the VMware Host Client. The virtual machine has Windows Server 2016 instal…

With the advent of Windows 10, Microsoft is pushing a Get Windows 10 icon into the notification area (system tray) of qualifying computers. There are many reasons for wanting to remove this icon. This two-part Experts Exchange video Micro Tutorial s…

The Task Scheduler is a powerful tool that is built into Windows. It allows you to schedule tasks (actions) on a recurring basis, such as hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, at log on, at startup, on idle, etc. This video Micro Tutorial is a brief intro…